WILD! Having survived breast cancer myself, I found this to be a fascinating look at how the hell you deal with life after the diagnosis. I found some parts a bit too ZANY, but overall, the humorous approach was uplifting and fun. Art was so good, scant text engaging.
Not as in love with this as I was with Raven, but still engaged me - looking forward to Beast Boy Loves Raven. Did love Gar.
of the three, this is my least favorite, but I'm still intrigued enough to keep going
Loved this. Laura Gao, born in Wuhan, lived in Texas, San Francisco - her difficulties with self-discovery and her biases. We watch Laura transform as she grapples with life - from her early childhood years through college and slightly beyond. Brings up pandemic and how she had finally found her true home only to discover the prejudice against Asians - and especially those from Wuhan.
A fascinating story of two photographers - one human with a cryogenically altered eye, the other an AI presenting as human who are set up as rivals at the gallery. Despite the obvious plotting, it had moments of charm - the developing friendship that becomes romantic, the troubles they both face. I liked it.
I would have liked a bit more character development - not my favorite of Levithan's, but it was good enough.
This book began with such promise, and it sustained my interest for quite a while - then, it was repetitive, and trite, and really? boring Too bad - I would have loved it.
The concept of this book appealed to me quite a bit - the writing, characters, plot and everything was going along fine, but then I felt it stagnated. I wanted more of the connection between the Special Topics students - more from the late night meetings around the single candle flame. More intricacy and interest could have been developed, so for me, it fell short. As another reviewer mentioned, the ending was flat, lifeless, and trite. I had such hope for the book - I'm a sucker for the offbeat school / English class saving the kids kind of story, but this one just didn't deliver.
Unparalleled, pitch-perfect story telling, well-drawn characterization, and smooth pacing make this modern fairy tale's look at historical fairy tales and the Grimm brothers an exquisite read. I cannot imagine a better book. Tom McNeal, in short, rocks.
Why can't I give this one SIX stars? Beautifully done, Maggie. Loved it immensely, and lucky for me, The Dream Thieves is out and I've already started it. :)
I had such high hopes for this book, but it was sorely disappointing. I thought the illustrations were wonderful, but the text fell sadly short. The use of one run-on sentence for the entire book was shameful, and on the page asking "and is that a little green?" it actually says (MISSPELLED) "an is that a little green?" Just bad editing and proofing. Ick.
Action-packed. I initially tried reading this two years ago; gave it another try yesterday. The audio was good - great narration, music enhanced the experience. I guess it wasn't as bad as I had originally thought. Glad I gave it a second chance.
Yuck. This is a poorly written book with forced dialogue, characters I couldn't give a hoot about, and a boring plot. No thanks!
What a disappointment. This book had such potential, but fell far short of what it could have been. Flat characters, a non-existent plot, blunt sentences/poor grammar, and predictability really give the book its lackluster rating. Felt like it took me twelve long months to read it - it was such drudgery.
SPOILERS!! An unparalleled beauty of a novel whose richly woven stories intertwine; the perspectives of dogs heartfelt and true. I couldn't resist the narratives of all characters, about whom I cared deeply. I am devastated at the horrific ending and had other expectations: Edgar lives and finds a place for himself in the dog breeding business, Claude's nature is finally revealed in full to Trudy, and Claude himself ends our (and his own) torture by taking his own life in the way he ended Edgar's. I have paced the quiet house, frequently weeping as I embrace my own Sawtelle poodle - my animal soul mate whose body must touch mine in our sleep - and I am lost in Edgar's world. I have taken up pen and notepad to read it again, taking copious notes. Also re-reading "Hamlet" to find even more parallels than I had remembered. Unlike Stephen King, I was unable to set it aside at the end to prolong the reading. I gobbled up the last 200 pages without hesitation. This book lives now, in my heart, and among my many book friends. I'm not much of a re-reader, but my copy will be on my shelf for many re-visits. A true masterpiece of literature.
What a romp in the kitchen!! I haven't read such a hilarious and perfectly illustrated book in ages. This was a real treat - as much as the biggest pudding in the whole world!
You know, I loved Life As We Knew It, but the religious over and undertone of this one is just not attractive. There was but one moment in the course of the book that seemed "realistic" in terms of the relationship between Alex, our protagonist, Julie and Briana - his sisters. A few moments were, for me, profoundly emotional, but the story just doesn't have the same "snap" that her first novel had. I cared enough to finish the book, but wouldn't stay up all night as I did with Life As We Knew It.
text here is great; illustrations leave a little to be desired - scary, in some cases
beautifully illustrated; text lacked imagination. Mr. Salten should have followed the "less is more" aphorism for this one.
The writing is taut and crisp. Dialogue outstanding. Subject matter - kids doing drugs and headed for (I think) destruction - can't handle it. I made it to page 78 but have elected to read something else. The characters are too tragic and sad for me.
This book was completely unreadable. Flat, boring dialogue; stupid plot.
Listened to one cd; had to stop - content not fun to hear at this time
I read my appointed 50 pages, but was not enthralled with the book. Too many other fun titles are beckoning, so I skipped this one.
Listened to this on cassette; it was HORRIBLE. Of the two cassettes, I struggled through one, then was delighted to end the torture.
original, shocking, grotesque, engaging. I couldn't put down this disturbing book, but had to see it through.
I see the book praised everywhere. Maybe it was the reader, but the audio left much to be desired. I never saw (heard?) the depth of velvet sensuality that is in every review.
good character development; I actually cared about the main character, and wanted to see her through her grief and troubled relationship with her mother, who was in great denial over her husband's death
great adventure; learned a lot about ships and their sailors
looked to be promising at the onset; quickly deterioriated into a foolish story too loosely connected